Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was a decisive battle of the Hundred Years' War that occurred on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) when the disease-ridden and hungry army of King Henry V of England destroyed the larger army of the Kingdom of France, commanded by Constable of France Charles d'Albret and fellow nobleman Jean le Maingre. The English longbowmen repelled several French charges before the English prevailed in the melee, even though D'Albret launched an attack on the English rear. D'Albret was slain, and 1,500 French nobles were captured in one of the greatest English victories and most famous battles of the war.

Background
In 1415, King Henry V of England landed in France with a large army, hoping to conquer France for the Kingdom of England. His army was decimated by disease and hunger upon disembarkation, and the siege of Harfleur cost the English dearly. The English succeeded in taking the city, but the 9,000 remaining English troops remained in poor condition. The Constable of France, Charles d'Albret, took command of a massive army of up to 36,000 troops and set out to drive the English back into the sea. However, King Henry was an inspiring leader, and he decided to take a stand against the French army, which was led by arrogant and arguing noblemen. Henry sought to return home to England after months of campaigning, but he would only be able to return home if he emerged victorious against all odds. His English army, outnumbered six-to-one, made camp near Agincourt in northern France and prepared for battle. On 25 October 1415, King Henry gave the famous "Saint Crispin's Day Speech", inspiring his men by telling them, "the fewer men, the greater share of honor", and he urged his men to fight with him against the larger French army. The French army enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at their encampment as King Henry's army marched up to a dirt field, provoking the French army to march out to meet him. Separated by a muddy no man's land, the two armies faced off as the French marched into battle.

Dispositions
King Henry's only hope was his army's longbowmen, the famed archers who had won the Battle of Crecy and the Battle of Poitiers in 1346 and 1356, respectively. King Henry decided to arrange his army so that the heavy infantry was positioned in front of his archers, who were protected by several wooden stakes that could repel a cavalry charge. His army was arranged in two rows, enabling the infantry to fight in melee as the archers fired on more distant enemies. Meanwhile, the main French force under Jean de Maingre marched on the English in a large column of several units, with knights forming the spearhead of his force. Charles d'Albret was to lead a flank attack against the rear of the English army with his cavalry, but his force would take quite some time to arrive. The English army prepared for battle, fortifying its positions as the French army went on the offensive against the seemingly weaker English army.

French charge


The French knights were the first elements of the French army to enter the battle, charging the English billmen. The English longbowmen felled many of the French cavalrymen before they even entered melee with the English infnatry, and the English billmen and heavy infantry hacked away at the French knights, forcing them to retreat after a very brief fight. The French army was massacred during its charges against the English, and the French dismounted kngiths were also cut to pieces by the English heavy infantry and showered by arrows from the English archers. Jean de Maingre was captured in the ensuing fight, and bodies formed in heaps as the English and French engaged in bloody melee. The battle was completely one-sided, and the French were forced back after much violence.

D'Albret's flank attack
Hoping to turn the tide of battle, the cowardly Constable of France Charles d'Albret and a hundred French knights charged the English bowmen from behind. The French knights were met by some of the English infantrymen that were freed from the melee with the dismounted French infantry after slaughtering them, and the French knights were massacred. D'Albret was slain in the ensuing battle, and the English repelled the flank attack. This allowed for them to focus all of their energy on the French units at the front of their lines, and the English army fired flaming arrows at the French troops to scare them away. The French knights fled, and several French knights were killed or taken prisoner during the retreat.

Aftermath
The bloody Battle of Agincourt was a decisive English victory and one of the most legendary actions of the Hundred Years' War. Around 112 English soldiers were killed and an unknown amount wounded, while up to 10,000 French knights were slain in the battle and 1,500 nobles taken prisoner. The English victory at Agincourt allowed for King Henry to besiege the city of Rouen and capture it, another great victory of the war. The incapable King Charles VI of France could only sit back and watch as his armies were destroyed by England, and much of France would be occupied in the aftermath of the great victory.